Related Coverage

The driver in a crash that killed a 19-year-old woman on Kauai has been indicted for manslaughter.

A Fifth Circuit Grand Jury indicted Wednesday Cody Safadago, 46, who is believed to be originally from Washington state, on nine charges associated with the death of Kayla Huddy-Lemn.

On April 27, police say Huddy-Lemn was driving north on Kuhio Highway in Kapaa when an oncoming Nissan pickup truck, allegedly driven by Safadago, crossed the center line and struck her Mazda sedan. She was taken to Wilcox Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

An on-scene investigation revealed that the truck was stolen from a home on Makaha Road in Kapaa just moments earlier.

The grand jury added a charge of manslaughter to the eight charges Safadago was initially arrested for: negligent homicide, accidents involving death, unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle, operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant, resisting arrest, driving without a license, inattention to driving, and reckless driving.

With sentencing enhancements, if convicted, Safadago faces the possibility of an indeterminate life sentence for the manslaughter charge.

He is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday, May 15, in Circuit Court.

The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney also announced that it filed felony theft and misdemeanor shoplifting charges against Safadago for an unrelated incident. In that case, Safadago is alleged to have stolen Kahelelani bracelets worth more than $750 from Havaiki Oceanic and Tribal Art, a shop in Hanalei, in early January of this year.

Trial is currently set for Oct. 21 in that case. Due to his alleged criminal history, Safadago faces a maximum possible 11 years of imprisonment for the charges if convicted.